St. Landry democrat., 1887-12-31


Italian residents among its worshipers
Some of the Armenians are Catholic
though the larger portion belong to sect
which is nearly Catholic, but does not
recognize the Pope as head of the church
Aside from these principal divisions, there
are several other religious sects in Turkey
but as they do not recognize Christmas as one
Of their holidays, shall not mention them
There is deep feeling of hatred among
the Greeks and the Catholics, which is the
cause of many bitter feuds and fights during
the celebration of the Christmas services
though they live together quite peaceably the
rest of the year and woe to the Hebrew who
finds himself in the way Of one or the other
during the season of these holiday celebra
tons. Until the end of the reign of Sultan
Mahmoud. who annihilated the Janissaries,
no church dare hold services after nghtfall
nor Christian had courage enough to go, but
now all the churches hold their midnight
services under the protection of the Turkish
police, and no one molests them unless il
happens that Greeks and Catholics meet
when tisticuff battle is certain.
By Greeks are meant not only those who
belong to that nation, but all who are mem
bers of that church Happily their dreaded
street encounters are rare, as they happen sell
dom, except when their Christmas, New Year
and Epiphany fall upon the same day. The
Greek Church computes time by one stand
ard and the Catholics by another, and there
is difference of twelve days; but somehow
they do fall exactly together sometimes and
then fhpra IS and often
are killed
Christmas with all these Oriental races
who believe in the birth of Christ is a most
solemn ceremony and not day of festive
rejoicings as with us. Four or five days be-
fore their Christmas Eve the peo-
pie go to church to confess and receive
communion. The day before Christmas
is day of fasting, and they are allowed to
eat only certain things, like black bread and
black olives and water, and they all are ex-
horted to fast entirely if their physical con-
dition will permit it. At eleven o'clock at
night every member of family, except the
sick and babes, must go to the service. The
church is vast and without seats, except one
line of benches which face the middle of the
church, near the altar. The rich buy these
seats by the year or in perpetuity. The poor
stand up. The main floor is for men, and
the gallery for the women. The fathers take
the boys and the mothers the girls. The
gallery where the women sit is entirely
hidden from view by close lattice work
which is put there to keep the attention of
the men from wandering from their devo-
tons.
In Greek church there are no wax figures
or statues of any description. There is usually
painting of the Paniah, or Blessed Virgin,
and sometimes one of the Christ, and the
priest has a large crucfix; but there are no
other symbols. There is a high priest dressed
in magnificent gold brocaded robes, with
jeweled breast-plate and collar, two deacons
several acolytes, a long train of choir boys,
dressed in the most magnificent robes for the
Christmas services. The boys carry large
wax candles, censers, and little banners upon
long poles, upon which are painted the
Blessed Virgin and crosses. Ali of these
articles are of gold and richly jeweled when
practicable.
The people sit or stand or fall upon their
knees as the second priest mounts spiral
stair to pulpit some ten feet high, where he
reads the evangels in ancient Greek, which
few of the worshipers understand, even
when they are Greek, as the modern
language differs as greatly from the ancient
as our language of to-day from the early
English. After the reading of the evangels
the high priest below, from in front of the
altar, recites in sing-song style the story of
the nativity, and the choir boys torture the
air by the most lugubrous howlings, which
they call chanting, but which is the most
excruciating torture to a strangers ears. All
who are present must have wax taper,
large or small, according to their MEANS and
when the final moment has come and the
priest chants loudly, "The Christ is
born; is born in Bethlehem. The heavens
rejoice and all the universe is glad"
every one lights his or her taper and
the service is over. The men leave first
and wait in a sort of court for their wives
and families to appear, and all go home
quietly, unless they happen upon band of
Catholics who are going to their houses at the